Are you feeling numbness, tingling or weakness in one of your legs? Are you experiencing severe pain in the same leg? Does the pain seem like coming from the lower back and traveling through the buttock and down the large sciatic nerve in the back of each leg? If so, it can be the case of sciatica.

Sciatica is severe leg pain that originates from the sciatic nerves. It affects buttock, calf,thigh, and foot or in any one of these areas. It’s a type of condition where weakness, pain or altered sensation can be experienced in hamstring, calf or foot but it stems from the spine, via the Sciatic nerve. The most common cause of the problem is compression of the nerve due to a herniated disc. An estimated 5% of the population in Mt Eliza are suffering from this disease. Men and women both can be caught by the cruel claws of sciatica, with women more likely to suffer in their fifties and men in their forties.

Common symptoms:

Sciatica is characterized by one or more of the following symptoms:

Pain along the back of the leg

Constant pain in only one side of the buttock or leg

Pain is rarely experienced in both legs

Tingling, searing or burning along the leg

Pain increased when sitting

Weakness or numbness or difficulty in moving the leg, foot or even toes

Constant pain on one side of the buttocks

Pain aggravated by prolonged sitting and standing

Sciatic pain varies depending on where pain is developing. It can be irritating, infrequent, incapacitating and constant. The Symptoms are based on the location of the pinched nerve.

Common Causes

There are many reasons of sciatica. The most common causes, according to physio for sciatica nerve pain in Mt Eliza, are the trauma such as falling off a ladder or landing on your back. The disease can be triggered by very normal or small movements such as bending down to one side to pick something. It can also develop due to the lower back problems and other diseases like isthmic spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease, lumbar herniated disc, lumbar spinal stenosis, piriformis syndrome and sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

Physiotherapy Assessment of Sciatica

Prior to plan any physiotherapy treatment, Physio for sciatica nerve pain in Mt Eliza first assesses the disease, which is very important. However, the assessment can be limited if patient is experiencing severe pain. Usually, the assessment comprises of observing abnormal posture like a shifting the body away from the painful side and avoiding weight on the affected leg. The physiotherapists may also ask for a gentle movement to get an idea whether there is a pattern of worsening or improving in specific directions. Aside from all these, they may also test the skin sensation, reflexes, and muscle power. They may ask you to lift the leg up in order to check if the nerve is sensitive to being stretched.

PhysiotherapyTreatment for Sciatica

Physiotherapy is believed to be effective in treating Sciatica. Physiotherapists are well-experienced and trained to relieve nerve root compression which is caused by fibrous scar tissue. They are able to treat conditions related to compression of the sciatic nerve by other structures also. They suggest patients about the correct postural techniques and exercises to correct any muscle imbalance in the spine.

There are several cases where Sciatica is managed conventionally. Physiotherapists also suggest for the exercise as it plays a key role in managing this troublesome condition successfully. Below are some important approaches that health experts adopt to treat sciatica:

They suggest for the right position to reduce pain

Encourage to take medication as suggested by the doctor

Incorporate mobilisation techniques to the lower lumbar spine

Trigger point therapy and core stability work

Let you know about relaxation techniques to reduce pain which increases due to tension or anxiety

Do deep tissue massage to the buttock because Piriformis Syndrome may cause sciatic pain

In general, most of the treatment episodes start settling within six weeks. However, depending on the pain relief, it may also take months to settle completely.

Expertise at My Therapist Group

My Therapist Group’s Physio for sciatica nerve pain in Mt Eliza comes with a great deal of specific clinical experience in managing sciatica. In the beginning, they carry a complete assessment and then plan the most appropriate treatment plan for instant recovery. Our experts suggest patients for the right exercise that help reduce pain and risk of increasing the pain again.

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

About Us

My Therapist Group is a young and energetic Frankston physiotherapy practice providing diverse expert physiotherapy services to the region.

Positioned in the lower end of Frankston, we service a large area from Frankston CBD, Seaford, Baxter, Somerville, Langwarrin, Langwarrin South and Frankston South. We seek to serve the Frankston community with high quality customer focused physiotherapy care and service. Use us for your physiotherapy Frankston needs!